Ruthie's Table 4

iHeartPodcasts

For nearly forty years, The River Cafe in London has been a home-from-home for artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists and politicians. It is also the home of its co-founder, Ruthie Rogers — restaurateur, cookbook author, podcast host and one of the most influential figures in British food.

On Ruthie’s Table 4, Ruthie invites her guests — many of them friends and longtime restaurant regulars — to The River Cafe for a journey through food and memory.

In each episode, Ruthie uses the lens of food to unlock stories and personal histories from an extraordinary range of guests, including Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Michael Caine, Dame Tracey Emin, Sir Elton John, Kamala Harris, David Beckham and Victoria Beckham, Sir Ian McKellen, Greta Gerwig, Gordon Brown, Tina Fey, Dame Judi Dench, Yotam Ottolenghi, Wyclef Jean, Mel Brooks, Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi, Jony Ive, Sarah Jessica Parker and many others.

So take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation.

Play

Open in

34 episodes
weekly
Avg 26 min
English

Episodes 34

Newest Oldest Longest

All14 Unplayed14 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

July 10 · 7 min
Bonus: Erin Lyall on Eating With Soldiers
Erin Lyall, a conflict producer for CBS News, reveals what it's like to eat with soldiers, how an army feeds itself, and how she personally recovers after the strain of working in a war zone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
S5 · E37
July 6 · 39 min
Erin Lyall, Conflict Producer For CBS News
As a conflict producer for CBS News, Erin Lyall has eaten with Ukrainian soldiers on the freezing front line, cooked with families in their homes in Gaza, and shared meals on the battlefields of Syria and Iraq with bullets sounding in the distance. From these experiences in the field, Erin created Food Under Fire, a unique food blog featuring recipes, anecdotes, and portraits of the people she's met on her journalistic travels. Today, we're together in the safety of the River Café to talk about how food can bring us together, both in war and in peace. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
July 3 · 5 min
Bonus: Graham Norton on why you should work in a restaurant
Graham Norton reveals what he learned from working in restaurants, what he noticed about tricky customers, and why he would recommend the experience to everyone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
July 2 · 19 min
Mel Brooks Turns 100
This week marks a very special occasion. My friend, Mel Brooks, is turning 100. For the best part of a century, he has lit up the world with his warmth and humour, delighting audiences as a writer, director, actor and comedian. From The Producers and Blazing Saddles to Young Frankenstein, his unique talents have left an indelible mark on film, television and theatre. To celebrate Mel, we're going to revisit some of the best moments from his wonderful appearance on Ruthie's Table 4, back in 2023 - one of my favourite ever episodes. We talk about the food of his childhood in Brooklyn, keeping carp in the bathtub, eating in the army, his friendship with Cary Grant, his uncanny impression of a cat, and many more memories from one of the greatest storytellers of our time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
S5 · E36
June 29 · 35 min
Graham Norton
To be a truly great host, as Graham Norton is every week on his television sofa, you have to understand and genuinely like people. It's the same for me at the River Café. There's no such thing as a difficult customer. Everybody has a story, and every table is a world. Usually it's Graham asking the questions, but today, he's answering mine—about his early years in an American commune, his time working in restaurants, cooking, writing, and the art of hosting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
S5 · E35
June 22 · 31 min
Giulio Bertelli, Filmmaker
Last September, at the Venice Film Festival, I went to see Agon — a radical and powerful film. Afterwards, I immediately changed my schedule to attend a dinner for its director, Giulio Bertelli. Today, Giulio and I are back together in Hammersmith to discuss his filmmaking, the food of his childhood in Milan, his time as a professional sailor, the history of food and seafaring, and the company he has built as he looks to food's future. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
S5 · E34
June 15 · 47 min
Piers Morgan, Broadcaster
Everyone knows Piers Morgan as a journalist, editor, and fearless interviewer. But I also know him as someone who loves food and can describe in detail what makes a great restaurant. Today, we're here together to talk about growing up in his family's country pub, the postcard he cherishes from his mother, drinks with Bill Clinton, dining with Tom Hanks, and seeing the glass half full. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
June 11 · 32 min
Bonus: Ruth Porat - “If We Can, We Must.”
Ruth Porat - President and Chief Investment Officer of Google and Alphabet - discusses the social responsibilities that come with technological advancement and how AI must be used to tackle society’s most intractable problems. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
S5 · E33
June 8 · 32 min
Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer at Alphabet and Google
Ruth Porat is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Google and Alphabet. She is also my friend. Her extraordinary schedule has often kept us thousands of miles apart as she moves across continents, connecting people, ideas, and communities. But today, we’re together at last - a Ruth and a Ruthie - to talk about the importance of food at Google, her scientific childhood, how her father survived the Holocaust to rebuild his family, and how her grandmother spent her last day showing love through food. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe - the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
June 5 · 5 min
Bonus: Declan Kelly On Going Vegetarian
Consello CEO Declan Kelly discusses his decision to become a vegetarian as a teenager in 1980s Ireland, and how he eats today. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
S5 · E32
June 1 · 38 min
Declan Kelly - Founder, Chairman and CEO of Consello
A few months ago, I met Declan Kelly, founder, Chairman, and CEO of Consello, one of the world’s most influential advisory firms. The connection between us was immediate, as I discovered a fascinating person with a fascinating life. Born in rural Ireland, from humble beginnings, he became an important journalist, created an influential communications company and in 2007 and 2008 served as one of the leading advisers to Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign. Today he advises some of the most influential people who lead powerful institutions, while mentoring a new generation. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
May 28 · 10 min
Bonus: Making A Menu
The River Café’s Sian Wyn Owen joins Michael and Lindsay Tusk to discuss the menu she has prepared for the day, the seasonal ingredients she is using, and how she organises a lunch service with her team. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
S5 · E31
May 26 · 29 min
Michael & Lindsay Tusk, Restaurateurs, Quince & Co.
Chef Michael Tusk and his wife and partner, Lindsay Tusk, believe great food is about simplicity, quality ingredients, and happiness. A few months ago in San Francisco, I saw this for myself at their restaurants - Quince, Cotogna, and wine bar, Verjus. Today, on a beautiful spring day at the River Café we will talk about creating food what we look for in a restaurant, and much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript
May 24 · 8 min
Bonus: Patrick Radden Keefe on eating together and eating alone
Patrick Radden Keefe talks about two contrasting food pleasures - hosting and eating alone. Order Table 4 at The River Cafe—the star-studded, food-filled book inspired by the beloved podcast: https://bit.ly/Table4AtRiverCafeBook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Transcript

Showing 21–34 of 34 episodes